Chinamigarden, to answer your question - my thought process is that the batter earned first base. Without that hit, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. The pinch runner is simply the batter's proxy and didn't do anything to earn that cherished position on first. If the next batter hits...
HA - I guess my mileage varies too much because I'm not finding the relevance of Lake Wobegon here. Still very cool that this one thread contains a Clint Eastwood AND a Garrison Keillor reference!
Thanks, Green Monsters, for your help. I still don't see anything that speaks to this issue in any rule book but everyone has coalesced around one answer so I guess I now have a different answer to the age-old question every parent asks her child at some point: "if everyone else is doing it...
I don't see anything in the softball or baseball rule books that cover these scenarios. With all due respect, CoogansBluff (and I'm a BIG Eastwood fan!), what do you mean "officially speaking"? Unless I've just been missing the official rules citations - can anyone point me to it (them)?
Please tell me if the following scorebook notations (and rationale) are correct for this scenario:
Batter singles and a pinch runner is sent in. Pinch runner steals 2nd and scores on the next batter's HR. Because the batter "earned" first base and the pinch runner is only there because of the...